Zen House

Address: 17-19 Bent Street, Adelaide SA 5000

Website: www.zenhouse.com.au

I recently visited Adelaide for the first time and wasn’t expecting there to be as many vegan options as there were. While doing some research, I discovered Zenhouse, which was conveniently located about 3 minutes from my hotel. The menu is on the website so you can check it out to see what you’re in for.

The menu is essentially yum-cha type food however there are some more “Western” inspired meals on the menu as well as some main dishes. They’ve got plenty of desserts and snacks as well, which is awesome. I went with a selection of yum-cha dishes so that I could try and sample as many things as possible. Excellent decision.

Let me start off by apologising for the crappy photos. I was in such a hurry to eat that I didn’t take the time to get good snaps, you know how it is! You get the idea anyway.

Red Roasted Slices – $14.90

This super crispy, mock duck in a sweet sticky sauce was delightful. Each bite was a flavour explosion and cooked wonderfully. It’s not a yum-cha dish but I simply couldn’t resist trying it.

Fried Spinach Dumplings – $5.50

You’d think these wouldn’t be particularly exciting but they were by far my favourite thing on the menu. While they didn’t come with a sauce, there were plenty of other sauces from other dishes to dip them in. The outside was so wonderfully crispy while the inside was fresh and light. Definitely try these.

Peking Rolls – $6.80

The classic mock duck pancake affair. To be honest I think I prefer the ones at Green Gourmet in Newtown but they still made the grade. Nice the sauce was thick and rich while the cucumber freshened up each roll quite nicely.

Satay – $6.80

The satay sticks were a lovely addition to this yum-cha meal. Crispy fried mock chicken served with a nutty satay sauce. I don’t have any complaints.

I went back to Zenhouse the next day but I can’t remember what I had, it was however delicious. I finished the meal off with an excellent fig ice cream and took a couple of cookies for the journey back to Newcastle.

Oh, they also have the biggest BBQ buns I’ve ever seen.

If you’re ever in the Adelaide CBD, get yourself to Zenhouse for an affordable and tasty meal served by lovely staff.